Vienna Game: Stanley Variation

The Stanley Variation is 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4, a line of the Vienna Game in which White develops the bishop instead of playing f2-f4. The same position can be reached from the Bishop's Opening, 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Nc3.

Black's main choices

• 3...Nxe4 takes the pawn at once (see below).
• 3...Nc6 usually continues 4.d3, the Berlin-Vienna Hybrid, followed by 4...Na5, 4...Bc5 or 4...Bb4.
• 3...Bc5 transposes to the King's Gambit Declined after 4.d3 d6 5.f4 Nc6 6.Nf3.
• 3...Bb4, after which 4.f4 Nxe4 5.Qh5 O-O leads to wild but probably equal play. White can also play 4.d3, 4.Nge2 or 4.Nf3.

After 3...Nxe4

White usually plays 4.Qh5, threatening Qxf7#, and Black almost always replies 4...Nd6. After 5.Bb3 Black chooses between the quieter 5...Be7 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Nxe5, the Alekhine Variation, and the complications of 5...Nc6 6.Nb5 g6 7.Qf3 f5 8.Qd5 Qe7 9.Nxc7+ Kd8 10.Nxa8 b6, which Tim Harding dubbed the Frankenstein-Dracula Variation. White can also trade queens with 5.Qxe5+ Qe7 6.Qxe7+ Bxe7.

Of the other fourth moves, 4.Nxe4 allows the fork 4...d5 and 4.Bxf7+ is considered weak. 4.Nf3 is another option, entering the Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit.

The numbers

On Lichess White wins 50.4% of the 6.2 million games and Black 45.1%. The split is similar at every rating: 50.5% against 45.6% under 1400 and 48.8% against 44.0% from 2200 up. Masters over the board split their decisive games evenly: in 2,047 games White won 28.6%, Black 28.0%, and 43.4% were drawn.